Iran enrichment right recognized in deal: Zarif

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif talks to Iranian and foreign reporters in a press conference in the Swiss city of Geneva on November 24, 2013.

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran’s right to enrichment has been recognized in the nuclear deal between Tehran and the Sextet.
After more than four days of intense negotiations, Iran and the P5+1 group, the US, Britain, Russia, France, China and Germany, sealed an interim deal in Geneva on Sunday morning to pave the way for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over its nuclear energy program.
Addressing Iranian and foreign reporters on Sunday after the announcement of the deal, Zarif said that the agreement “covers several important domains, the most important of which is the recognition of the right to enrichment.”
He added that the right to use peaceful nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment, is “an inalienable right” under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which should be respected by all countries.
Zarif noted that the interim deal is an “important achievement” but a “first step” toward resolving an “unnecessary crisis”, stressing that the two sides need to work together based on “equal footing, mutual respect and common benefits” to settle the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program.
“The Iranian people demand respect for their rights but demand respect for their dignity [too] and it is important to restore their confidence, and I hope this process can do that,” he reiterated.
Iran’s top diplomat also said that a joint commission has been established to monitor the implementation of the deal.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the deal allows for Iran to continue its activities at Arak, Fordow and Natanz facilities. The agreement also stipulates that no additional sanctions will be imposed on Tehran because of its nuclear energy program.
“We believe that the current agreement ... has a very clear reference to the fact that [the] Iranian enrichment program will continue and will be part of any agreement now and in the future.”
He added that according to the Sunday deal “no new sanctions will be imposed against Iran and sanctions will be eased.”
Zarif also said that Iran will work toward the abolition of all sanctions.
AR/HMV/HRB